Great Lakes Advisors LLC Purchases 2,045 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,045 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,003,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV now owns 1,189 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. FirstPurpose Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the second quarter. FirstPurpose Wealth LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Breakwater Capital Group grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the second quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 1,597 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the second quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,901 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,350,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Intercontinental Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.8% during the second quarter. Intercontinental Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,521 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 86.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $233.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $255.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $225.61 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The stock has a market cap of $67.79 billion, a PE ratio of 47.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.42. The business had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 7.66%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.75 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TheStreet cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $282.00 to $260.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $284.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.38.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.48, for a total transaction of $125,986.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $945,309.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.48, for a total transaction of $125,986.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $945,309.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.66, for a total transaction of $238,847.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,086,109.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company's BD Medical segment provides peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes; and prefillable drug delivery systems.